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2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
January 26, 2017
This year’s legislative session started already in the second
week of January – it’s election year. And the way I see it: The
legislators are more interested in posturing for their election
campaigns than passing meaningful legislation.
Quite a few bills have been filed trying to change provisions in
FS 718 (Condo Act) and FS 720 (HOA Act). Some bills are good –
others are outright bad. See: PRIORITY BILLS on
the CCFJ website.
Moraitis again filed an anti-owner bill (HB
841) – like every year in the past. He is a
poster-child why we really need term-limits. This is his last
year – he will be out by term-limits! Thank god for small
favors! And since his district is surrounded by Dems there is no
chance for him to run for the Senate!
The legislative session in Florida only lasts 60 days – much too
short to create and enact really meaningful bills. There is no
time for discussions or changing the wording of bills, because
any stop during committee hearings can mean the end for the
bill. Most bills will carry this note after the session ends: “Died
In Committee!”
Not because the bill was good or bad – it’s just because the
legislature ran out of time dealing with the bill.
We will see what happens this year? I will know more next week
after my visit to Tallahassee and talking to some of the
legislators involved in Condo and HOA legislation. I will see
what we can do to push some of the better bills through the
legislature!
WISH ME LUCK!
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Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice,
Florida
's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group.
CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in
community
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associations. He moved to
Florida
in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the
developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues
for his own purposes. End of retirement!
CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in
Tallahassee
- finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a
member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.
The organization has two websites to inform interested
Florida
homeowners and condo owners:
News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.
Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all
service providers surely have a different interest! We are
trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are
useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking
in
Florida
!
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